Jagdtiger
The Jagdtiger, officially named as Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B (ordnance inventory designation Sd.Kfz. 186) was a German tank destroyer built upon the chassis of the modified Tiger II heavy tank. It is notable for being the heaviest tank destroyer to ever achieve mass production. The Jagdtiger first appeared in the anime in Episode 10. History In 1942, the Jagdtiger was developed as a response to the Army General Staff of Germany to mount a 12.8 cm PaK 44 L/55 Anti-Tank Gun on a heavy tank chassis in order to create a new heavy self-propelled gun. The firing test conducted by the gun showed that the gun itself was very accurate and powerful, and therefore used in an anti-tank role, rather than anti-infantry. The chassis of the Tiger II was used to create the self-propelled gun and its fully-rotating turret was replaced with a fixed superstructure to fit the size of the 12.8 cm gun. Two prototypes were ready for trials by February 1944. 150 Jadgtigers were initially planned for construction. Due to the beleaguered state of the German industry at the time, and the difficulties that accompanied both the size and complexity of the tank, only 88 Jagdtigers were built before the end of WWII. These were assigned to just two heavy anti-tank battalions. The Jagdtiger was the heaviest mass-produced tank destroyer in history, armed with a 12.8 cm anti-tank gun and very heavy armor of with its very thick 250 mm superstructure and well-sloped hull from Tiger II with 150 mm . It could take out any enemy tank at extreme distances, especially when utilizing ambush tactics, while its frontal armor could reliably protect it from any incoming enemy fire. However, the vehicle was so big that the mechanical reliability and the underpowered engine suffered accordingly: Thus any enemy tank that managed to flank the Jadgtiger could take out it with ease. The Jagdtiger was better suited for a defensive role as its gun and armor served as very good protection for other tanks. Due to the shortage of 12.8 mm guns some Jagdtigers were to be armed with the less capable 8.8 cm Pak 43 guns but these tanks never entered prudoction. In Girls Und Panzer Kuromorimine Girls Academy has a Jagdtiger, designated as a mobile protection for allied tanks, especially the flag tank, while utilizing its gun to repel opposing tanks. Its huge superstructure and incredibly thick armour essentially make it a mobile bulwark, only exceeded in both weight and armour by the Maus. The Jagdtiger was fielded with its primary mission to give enough protection for the Tiger I flag tank during the finals against Ooarai Girls Academy. After the Ooarai force had been ambushed and retreated to the urban area, the Jagdtiger was flanked from behind by Rabbit Team's M3 Lee in a narrow road, firing at Jagdtiger with no successful penetration even from its rear armor (but it could have been knocked out if Rabbit Team had aimed at the rear hatch). It later turned around after going to a wider area, setting up an ambush for when the M3 Lee came out to the end of the road, but the Jagdtiger failed to knock out the M3: The 12.8 cm shell ricocheted from its frontal plate. The Jagdtiger pushed the M3 Lee back into the narrow road again, but failed in its first attempt to fire because the length of the gun meant it couldn't be pointed at the M3 at close range. After a lengthy chasing battle, it was finally able to knock out the M3 Lee, but the Jagdtiger was lured into a trap. After knocking out the tank, it continued forwards under its own momentum, before falling down into a dry riverbed, breaking its gun and flipping over, thus ending up knocked out. Tank Specifications * Weight : 71.7 tons * Length : 4.92 m * Width : '''3.36 m * '''Height : 2.82 m * Main Armament : '''1 x 12.8 cm PaK 44 L/55 Anti-Tank Gun * '''Secondary armament : '''1 x 7.92mm MG 34 Machine Gun * '''Hull Armor / Superstructure Armor : ** Front : '''150 mm / 250 mm ** '''Sides : 80 mm / 80 mm ** Rear : 80 mm / 80 mm * Engine : V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 700 PS (690 hp) * '''Speed : '''34 km/h Trivia * Jagdtiger, along with the Maus, carries the largest Anti-Tank Gun (Not Howitzer) in the whole series. * This is the only Kuromorimine tank that during the match against Ooarai was not directly taken out by an opposing tank but ended up being immobilized by itself. Gallery References * Jagdtiger (Wikipedia) * Jagdtiger Specifications (WWIIVehicles) * Jagdtiger Official Anime Web (GirlsUndPanzer) Category:Tanks Category:German Tanks Category:Tank Destroyers Category:Kuromorimine Girls' High School